1997年亞洲金融風暴重創南韓，南韓能夠在幾近破產邊緣向國際貨幣基金(IMF)貸款570億美元解決困境，勵精圖治後浴火重生；南韓政府強力改革全國金融、產業及企業重整，使經濟快速恢復到風暴前的水準，創造經濟奇蹟，讓舉世刮目相看。反觀台灣在二次大戰後，以出口導向的產經政策創造了台灣奇蹟，曾慶幸未受亞洲金融風暴重大影響，但風暴後經濟卻呈現疲弱遲緩態勢。南韓經濟信心逐漸恢復後，在韓元大幅升值、貿易自由化與民間高消費的帶動下，2005年南韓平均每人國內生產毛額(GDP)突破17,000美元，首度明顯超越台灣。近十年來南韓無論在家電、資訊產品、化妝品、汽車品牌上，甚至文化影視產業席捲亞洲市場，掀起「韓流」風潮，尤其半導體、無線通訊等高科技產業在全球市場占有一席之地。台韓之間經濟、貿易、文化及科技之交流，亦隨之增長，南韓已是台灣重大入超貿易國之一。南韓政府策略推動發展品牌、大企業掌握市場、掌握關鍵零組件及產業技術創新，刺激經濟成長，正成功地由開發中國家邁向已開發國家。目前台灣正面臨中國強大經濟體、南韓積極的國家發展政策及亞洲分工的重新分配，台韓長期競爭之下，台灣的經濟策略應積極建立共同目標、穩定經濟發展。

Asian Financial Crisis strongly struck South Korea in 1997. By that time, South Korea was on the brink of bankruptcy but it successfully bounced back from the crisis with the US$57 billion loan approved by the IMF to contain the financial problems. While South Korea's economy was rapidly recovered to just before the crisis and created the economy miracle as well as knocked the socks off the world with government's further promotion of the reforms in finance, industries and business revolution; Taiwan's economy continued to slow down after the crisis though it was once proud of its economy miracle with export-oriented policy after the World War II and sparing from the misfortunes of Asian Financial Crisis.After South Korea regained its confidence in economy with the huge rise of Korean Won, free trade and high consumption in private sectors, it's GDP in 2005 achieved above US$17,000 and significantly overtook Taiwan's for the first time. In the recent decade, Korean fever began with South Korea's industries' taking Asian market by storm, such as household appliance, information products, cosmetics, motor brands and even the cultural and film products. Its high-technology industries, for example, semi-conductor, and wireless communication have taken the leading role in the global market. The exchanges in economy, trade, culture and technology between Taiwan and South Korea have been enhanced in response to the trend. South Korea has been one of the Taiwan's major imported countries.South Korean government strategically promoted brand development, big business monopoly, better control of the key components/parts and industrial technology innovation to boost the economic growth and is successfully moving toward to be a developed country from a developing country. As Taiwan at present is facing the challenges of China's big economic entity, South Korea's active national development policies and industrial structure redistribution in Asia, its economic strategy should actively establish the mutual goals to stabilize the economic development under the long-term competition between Taiwan and South Korea.